Tuesdays at the Tavern
by Aquamarine1212
Summary: The new farmer girl has absolutely no idea how to run a farm, but Shane is the last person to care. The two of them meet up at the local bar on a Tuesday evening - quite frankly, Shane hopes he never sees her again. As fate would have it though, they do. It's only the start of strange friendship between the two, who may have more in common than they think. Rated T for alcohol.
1. March 2nd, Year 1

**Hello! So, after playing Stardew Valley for a few months, I've really grown attached to the game. It's a lot of fun to play and the characters are amusing and interesting.**

 **After snooping around at the (very few) fanfictions and fanart for Stardew Valley, I discovered I was not alone in my like for Shane! In fact, he's very popular, surprisingly. Perhaps my character would have married Shane, but as of now he is not a marriage candidate. So instead I maxed out the friendship bar with Shane, making him my farmer's best friend, and she became romantically involved with Alex.  
**

 **To clear things up, this will NOT be a Shane X Farmer story. Their relationship is platonic. It will be funny at some parts, serious at some parts - sort of a "slice of life" kind of story.** **Anywho, I hope you enjoy my little take on this wonderful game.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Stardew Valley.**

 **...**

She didn't look anything like he expected.

Wedged between the fireplace and the counter, Shane leaned against the wall on his stool and observed the girl across the room quietly. She had just moved down to the small village of Pelican Town a few days ago from the city to inherit her grandfather's farm. When he thought of city girls, he thought of things like pencil skirts and scarves. The very idea of a city girl coming here and expecting to run a farm was laughable at best. City girls went to parties and clubs, city girls were fashionable and delicate. A city girl's fragile frame would be crushed under the immense workout farming required. He expected her to last a week at most.

But looking at her now, he was a little surprised. She was not a glam-girl by any standards. All she wore was a leather jacket, a black shirt and a pair of jeans he suspected were sold in the men's section. Her frame was in no way delicate and she had a hardened jaw line. She wasn't extravagantly beautiful or elegant. She looked like someone who belonged in a car shop.

Maybe she could survive two weeks.

His attention was torn away from the new resident when the bar owner, Gus, came ambling over to him, polishing a glass with a cloth and sending him discreet looks. The man had a big gut that he was forced to maneuver about as he moved around behind the counter, but it never seemed to bother him.

"So, how are things for you Shane?" Gus asked, leaning against the counter. Shane frowned and took a deep draught from his cup. Why was he talking to him? Gus knew that Shane hated to be talked to. Especially small talked to. Waste of time and energy in his opinion.

"No better than usual," he replied in a clipped tone after swallowing his drink.

"That new farmer's already fitting in pretty well," Gus commented offhandedly. Wrong choice of words. Shane's already cold attitude stiffened even more.

"Course she is," Shane snorted in disdain. He then took another drink from his glass and shifted away from Gus, signaling the end of their short exchange. Gus sighed, then turned around to meet the customer waiting at the register. No doubt Marnie had told the bumbling bartender to keep an eye on him...she had been constantly bothering him about his frequent visits to the tavern. He understood that she was only worried, but still, couldn't the woman buzz off? She knew more than anyone his reasons for coming here. He just needed to be left alone. Was that too much to ask?

The quiet chitter chatter began to dull as Shane finished his fourth drink. He frowned a little - usually it only took two or three. No matter though. A warm feeling, like he was curled next to a fireplace, filled him from his head to his toes. Oh wait. That's because he was curled next to a fireplace. Something had been weighing on Shane's mind today. He couldn't remember what it was, and that gave him unprecedented pleasure.

He turned his gaze towards the new farmer. She was sitting at the counter speaking with the blue-haired bartender, Emily. The bartender was gesturing about wildly and going on about what kinds of things let off 'positive energy' and how you could maximize your 'good karma'. To Shane's immense amusement, the farmer looked like she wanted to leave as soon as Emily gave her a chance. A broad, fake smile spread across her face and Shane caught her roll her eyes once when she thought nobody was looking. Shane tipped back his glass to swallow down more of the beer. It slid down his throat, warm and burning, all too familiar.

When he came back up for air, feeling slightly dizzy, suddenly there was somebody in front of him. He started in surprise and his chair tipped, sending him stumbling off of the stool ungracefully.

"What the-" the person in front of him ran off a few unrepeatable words. Their voice wasn't familiar. Shane fumbled around for a moment, trying to find the chair. Within a few long seconds his hand found it and he set it back up, then turned to the person still staring at him. Shane squinted until their face came into better focus. Slightly tanned skin, deep dyed red hair pulled back into a bun - oh, it was the new farmer. That was just great.

"Oh, so you're drunk," she stated. "That's wonderful." Shane studied her for a moment, his eyes turning hard and angry.

"I don't know you. Why are you talking to me?" Shane said bluntly. The question, meant to drive her off, left her totally unphased. She brushed it off like he had simply commented on the weather and continued talking.

"I'm escaping from that blue-haired bartender." she said, glancing over her shoulder at said girl. "Can I sit here?"

"No," Shane said firmly, sipping on the beer again. Shane wasn't exactly sure why she asked, because she disregarded him completely and sat down anyways. He bristled slightly at how she comfortably sat down beside him, completely at ease. As if she knew him.

"So what's up with this place?" she asked, leaning against the wall beside him. "Everyone's so friendly! And chatty! It's like everyone's cheerfulness is on hyperdrive. You're the first rude person I've met! Back in the city everyone was rude!" As she began to rant, and Shane could see that she was on a slight buzz from something she ordered. Her eyes were wider than they should have been and her talking was quick and snappy, but she did a pretty good job of covering it up.

"Hey wait a minute," she leaned forward a bit, and Shane leaned a bit backwards in response. Suddenly Shane felt very uncomfortable in her presence - she was too close. He could smell the sour, earthy smell of beer on her breath. "That's a Joja sweatshirt. You work there?"

"It's hell," Shane said. Wait, he didn't want to talk to this girl, he shouldn't be starting conversation. The thought came too late, as the alcohol let the words fly out of his mouth before his mind could stop them. The girl let out a roaring laugh that made him jump a little.

"Amen to that!" she grinned. "That's why I quit and moved here. I had no idea that countryfolk were so weird though! Why does everyone want to talk to me?"

"Not quite everyone," Shane stated tensely, focusing hard on not letting himself become too loose-lipped. "Now go bother someone else."

"I'm sitting right here as long as I like," she proclaimed. "So get used to it." Get used to it? Who did she think she was? A feeling of hot fury engulfed him at this girl's overconfidence and blatant disrespect. There was a certain look of cockiness on her face that only served to make Shane's frown deepen.

"Leave me alone," Shane growled. The girl ignored him and instead turned to the counter.

"Hey uh…" the girl tried to flag down the bartender, struggling to remember the girl's name. "Emma?" Emily turned around with a excited smile.

"Close! Emily," she laughed.

"Right," the farmgirl forced a smile. "How about a bottle of red wine?" Emily nodded eagerly and went to the drinks station to fetch the wine. A short minute later, farmgirl was sipping on her drink. Shane sulked next to her while she wore a satisfied expression. The sight of the two, sitting side by side, was enough to intrigue any onlooker.

"We're going to be quick friends, I can tell," she said with a smirk. "You remind me a lot of the city people."

"I don't care," Shane said through clenched teeth. "So beat it." Her very presence was making him more and more perturbed by the minute. Why couldn't a nice, shy farmer move into town - someone who wouldn't talk to him? Someone who would just leave him be. That's what this town needed. Not this pompous airhead who couldn't take a hint when it was thrown into her face. He was sick of this girl. If being rude wouldn't make her leave, then he'd go somewhere else where she couldn't bother him. Shane made a move to leave, standing up and turning away.

"Wait-" the girl grabbed his wrist to stop him, and Shane immediately turned around to jerk out her grasp. There was a long, tense moment where they regarded each other. Shane glared, as if daring her to try and stop him again, and the girl met his gaze evenly.

"Here-" the girl broke their standoff and rummaged through her bag for a moment before pulling out a few coins and holding them out to Shane. "Have another round. It's on me." Shane took the coins and regarded them with mild intrigue. Some of his anger dissipated at the small peace offering. Perhaps she had felt his aggression and hoped to quell it. Begrudgingly, Shane had to admit that if that was the case, it had worked to a small degree.

"My name's Tammy by the way. I'll see you next Tuesday, same place?" she asked pleasantly, still looking much too satisfied with herself. It was really, really rubbing Shane the wrong way. Immediately, his slight forgiveness was pushed aside and replaced with an emotion he knew much better - anger, bitter and scathing.

"I hope not," Shane muttered, his words slightly slurring. Tammy's smile only widened and she picked up her bag with a flair before strutting out of the tavern, her hips swaying and her stride confident and reassured. She pushed open the door and disappeared into the cool spring night.

Shane ordered another beer and considered her. Tammy, huh? He swirled the ugly yellow liquid in his cup and narrowed his eyes in contemplation. He hoped he never saw that girl's face again. The very thought of it made him feel angry. The bar buzzed with life and energy that sharply contrasted Shane's sour mood.

There was only one explanation for her erratic and unfazeable behavior. She was insane. Which, in that case, she'd fit right in this town.


	2. March 9th, Year 1

**I do not own Stardew Valley.**

Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was just Shane's natural tendency to forget things- but by the next Tuesday he had completely forgotten about Tammy's promise to return. The man hadn't encountered her since their chance meeting - in fact, it was almost strange how seldom the newest resident had been in town. Most of the townsfolk just chalked it up to the fact that she had so much work to do in order to make the overrun farm useable once again, but there was the unspoken hope that she'd soon come back into town so they could learn more about her. In such a tight knit community, nobody could disappear for a bit without the entire town throwing a clamour over it. That was one of the things Shane despised about this place. No sense of privacy whatsoever.

The last traces of sunlight lit up the western sides of the buildings, sending everything into a dream-like glow. If Shane hadn't been so busy bitterly reflecting on how much he hated his job, maybe he would have noticed it and appreciated it. Shane's shoulders hunched over and he glared down at his feet as he made his way towards the bar, while around him the last moments of sunset set the world into a dim orange hue.

A blonde boy carrying a skateboard was in an unusually chipper mood and gave Shane a small salute as he passed, wearing a dorky grin on his face. Shane rolled his eyes and gave no greeting in response.

Shane let out a quiet sigh as he went up the steps and pushed the bar door open. The familiar bell let out a chime to announce his arrival, although only a few people spared him a glance. The bar was unusually busy tonight and he had to fight his way through hordes of people crowding up the tables and trying to move around the room. At least Shane's corner was relatively empty, he noted with relief.

As soon as he had pushed his way past a couple who had gotten uncomfortably sensual, he curled up on his stool and slapped a few coins onto the counter. Emily immediately scooped them up and ran to grab him a beer. The crowd was loud and brash, and the noise was hurting Shane's eardrums. Maybe he'd leave as soon as he got buzzed enough to forget his horrible day.

From his corner, he noticed when a certain scarlet-haired girl came into the bar. She shuffled in, her shoulders drooped and her eyes bloodshot. Her hair, which had been so perfectly pulled back into a bun at their first encounter, was now not so groomed. It had been pulled lazily back into a ponytail with half the hair falling out. There were stains on the knees of her jeans that she had obviously tried to scrub out with little success.

Ouch. It looked like farm work had been rougher than she had expected.

Shane shook his head to himself, tearing his eyes away. Just like he had thought, she wasn't cut out for it. The hardest work she had ever done was probably typing for a few hours at a desk. Her grandfather had been an idiot to give her that farm.

To Shane's immense surprise and displeasure, Tammy sat at the stool closest to him. She didn't spare him more than a glance before she ordered. For a few minutes neither of them acknowledged each other, but instead let the air between them fill with uncomfortable silence. Tammy quickly grew tired of outwaiting him however and turned to speak. As her mouth opened, Shane beat her to it.

"Don't talk to me," Shane growled, casting her a glare from the corners of his eyes. Tammy closed her mouth and frowned a little. Quickly though, she had recovered.

"What, bad day?" Tammy asked in a sweet voice. Emily bounded over to their counter, looking positively frantic. She didn't even spare a greeting to the two, just sliding two drinks in their general direction before she was hustling over to another table. Deciding not to respond to the farmer, Shane snatched up one of the glasses and turned himself away from her in a show of complete disinterest. Tammy simply shrugged and grabbed her own drink.

"Tammy!"

Shane closed his eyes and tried to keep the sigh that escaped him relatively quiet. He retreated further towards the wall, hoping that maybe he could sit here unnoticed. A woman in a forest green dress and thick brown hair pulled into a loose braid made her way over to the counter. She had a friendly grin on her face.

"Oh...hi Marnie," Tammy said, managing a polite smile.

"Where have you been? It's been a week since you were last in town!" Marnie gushed, making herself comfortable in the seat beside Tammy.

"Working at the farm obviously," Tammy replied nonchalantly.

"Why didn't you come visit? You're welcome anytime you know," Marnie offered, and Shane felt his stomach drop. _No. Shut up Marnie. Don't invite this brat to our house._ He wanted to shake some sense into the woman, but that would result in her noticing him, so he just silently fumed from his corner.

"Well I didn't have time for that before, I don't think I will for a while. Sorry," Tammy quickly shot her offer down.

"Aw, that's too bad," Marnie replied, her smile fading a little. "Do you think you'll be getting any livestock soon? A batch of our chicks just hatched."

"Um, have you _seen_ my land?" Tammy turned to look at Marnie with a dubious expression. "Do you know how much money I have? Pretty much _none._ I'm not even going to think about livestock for another season or two."

 _Good,_ Shane thought angrily to himself. _You don't know the first thing about raising chickens and you'd probably just accidentally kill them._

"Have you started growing some crops yet?"

"Oh yeah. I've got the beginnings of a nice farm started up."

"Have you started up some green bean trellises? Those bring in a nice amount of cash- Shane!"

Shane visibly flinched as soon as Marnie cried out his name. The woman leaned backwards to get a better look at Shane, her face lighting up. It had certainly caught Tammy's attention. She turned to look at Shane and cocked her head, her eyes glittering with curiosity.

"You know him?" Tammy asked curiously, butting in.

"He's my nephew," Marnie turned to say. "He lives at the ranch with me and Jas."

"Oh," Tammy seemed a little surprised at the revelation. Suddenly the broody drunk in the corner wasn't so mysterious. It sort of disappointed her that he wasn't the strange, out of place figure she had at first seen him as. I mean, a guy who's mooching off his nice aunt was sort of...lame. To her, he had radiated intrigue upon their first meeting and she was convinced he had some sort of crazy past or was hiding some great secret. But she guessed he really was just some random bum. Disappointing to say the least.

"How was work today Shane?" Marnie inquired cheerfully.

"Bad," Shane said in a clipped tone. Great, now he had _two_ annoying people bothering him with pointless questions and chatter.

"Is he always like this?" Tammy asked bluntly, totally ignoring the fact that he was literally _right there._

"Oh, um..." Marnie at least looked fairly confused, her eyes darting over to Shane, who blatantly ignored her, instead taking another sip of his drink. Tammy didn't appear to catch onto the suddenly awkward atmosphere. "What do you mean?"

"Rude and pessimistic. Is he always like that?" Tammy said casually. Marnie started to blush in embarrassment.

"Oh, well…" Marnie trailed off nervously, twiddling with a strand of hair. Shane rolled his eyes. If Tammy was trying to embarrass him or get a reaction from him, she'd be sorely disappointed. It was hardly the worst that had been said about him. Besides, he didn't care what other people thought of him. It was probably the same as what he thought of himself.

"Shane's...he's a hard worker. And he's nice if you get to know him…" Marnie replied, casting a nervous glance in Shane's direction.

Okay, he had about had enough of this. If Marnie wouldn't call her out, he would.

"I'm not the only who's being rude," Shane said pointedly, glancing in her direction. For a moment Tammy looked like she might actually properly react to something for once. Her mouth twisted into a tight scowl and she clenched her fists. The moment passed however, and she let out a small breath, returning to her calm and in control state.

"Alright, my bluff," she confessed. "Sorry Marnie."

"Oh, well I'm not sure I'm the one you should be apologizing to-" Marnie began in a flustered voice, but Tammy didn't bother letting her finish.

"Maybe I _will_ give you guys a visit if I find the time. You could teach me about raising livestock. You know, for later on," Tammy suggested. "No guarantees though."

Shane grumbled quietly to himself as Marnie gushed over Tammy again, eager to show off her livestock and her ranching abilities. As per usual, Marnie was running around doing things without even considering how the other occupants of the house felt about it. Sure, it was _her_ house, but a little consideration would have been nice. When the two women were done chatting about whatever it was they had spent ten minutes discussing (Shane hadn't bothered to listen) Marnie bid them both a happy goodbye, reminding Shane to be home before midnight before she headed for the table with Lewis sitting at it.

"I like your aunt. She's a little ditzy, but I like her," Tammy said approvingly. "Although she talks _a lot._ " The farmer chugged the last of her drink, looking tired out.

"Great. But _I_ don't like _you_ , so go away," Shane shot back, but his growl had become more of a sigh. It appeared both of them were tired and wanting to go home.

"That tune is going to get really old if you keep playing it," Tammy grinned half-heartedly, pushing herself off the stool with more effort than it should have required. "Anyways, see you later."

Shane hung around the saloon for a short while, then finally decided he had had enough when they started booming bad music over the speakers and clearing out a dance floor. He wasn't going to stay and watch a bunch of unattractive middle aged people pretending they were still good at dancing. He bought a six pack and carted it back to the ranch. The loud whumps of the bass still thumped distantly in his head as he entered the house.

"Shane!"

A little girl with black hair and pink pajamas ran up to him the moment he walked in the door. In her hands she proudly carried a piece of paper. Shane merely grunted in reply, slipping off his shoes.

"Shane, look, I drew a chicken!" the girl announced proudly, showing off the crude crayon-drawing of the feathered fowl.

"Why are you still up?" Shane mumbled, shuffling his way towards the kitchen. The little girl's smile faded and she hugged the drawing closer to herself.

"I wanted to show you my drawing," she said a little timidly, tagging behind him. Shane's eyes narrowed when he flicked on the kitchen lights. Ugh. It was so _bright._ Not to mention he was feeling a little dizzy. Shane stumbled to the counter, putting down the six pack with a loud clatter. He turned to face the girl with half-closed eyes.

"Oh. Yeah. That's nice," Shane blinked a few times, trying to focus in on the picture. "Yeah, go ahead and put that on the fridge." The little girl perked up and scurried over to the refrigerator, carefully choosing the best spot for the picture to hang. Shane grabbed one of the bottles of beer and used a rusty bottle-opener to pop it open, then took a draught.

"What's that?" the girl observed, pointing curiously at the bottle. "Can I have some?"

" _No,_ " Shane growled. The word came out a little louder and harsher than he had intended, and the girl flinched a little. Immediately Shane felt guilty.

"No...no, it's not stuff for kids," Shane said, a little quieter this time. "Alright?" The girl nodded a little sheepishly. Shane sighed deeply, running one hand through his hair. "Go to bed now, okay?" he murmured.

"Okay...goodnight Shane," the girl gave him a quick, shy hug around his waist. Shane patted her head, albeit a little awkwardly.

"Goodnight Jas."

* * *

 **Well, I figured I'd quick explain a few things before we move forwards:**

 **First off, my personal theory on how Marnie, Shane and Jas are related is that Shane is Marnie's nephew. Shane was good friends with some people, then they died and their daughter, Jas, was left to him, making him her godfather. Since Jas is technically Shane's daughter now, that would make Marnie Jas's great-aunt. However, Jas usually just calls her aunt, because Marnie thinks "great-aunt" makes her sound too old. With this logic, Marnie also just calls Jas her niece, even though she's technically her _great_ niece. Sorry if that was confusing. XD**

 **Also, I'm splitting up the seasons into months because I want more chapters. March, April and May will cover spring; June, July and August cover summer; September, October and November cover fall; and December, January and February cover winter. Not sure if I should move the new year to March 1st, since technically in-game the new year starts on the first day of spring, or if I should just put it on January 1st like it is in real life. Any suggestions or comments on that would be great!**


End file.
